constraint
/kənˈstreɪnt/ noun [C]Definition
› something that controls what you can do by keeping you within particular limits: The constraint of distribution costs remains the severest of all.budget/financial, etc. constraints This growth in revenue may soften the government's budget constraints and allow it to increase public spending.big/major/serious constraint They believe that the new legislation will remove a major constraint to economic expansion.a constraint on/to sth The cost of capital is an important constraint on business activity.place/put a constraint on sth Some external factors placed constraints on the scope of the work that could be undertaken. Among those conditions was a five-year time constraint. (= time limit)
(Definition of constraint noun from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press)
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